


Stay With Me

by hope27



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-30
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-09 16:23:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3256541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hope27/pseuds/hope27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a mission goes bad and Felicity watches Oliver get hurt, the race to save his life brings out feelings that can't be ignored.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay With Me

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N:** Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well! Fic was requested from me and I've had this one sitting in my files since summer. I've wanted to post it for awhile but there was always another fic or another drabble to write. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like it! Since it was written before the season began airing, there's really no spoilers except that Oliver and Felicity did go on a date.
> 
> As always, I LOVE to know what you guys think! Comments mean so much to me! Thanks for all your support! And thank you to anthfan for reading this over for me.

“Oliver!?” she yelled through the comms, standing from her seat in the back of the van.

Her heart raced in her chest as she watched the grainy images from the security feed she’d hacked into and pulled up from the building.

“Oliver, you’re surrounded!” she cried, watching the SWAT team and police officers converge on a still unmoving Oliver. “You need to get out of there!”

“I can’t…” he finally responded, his voice strained. 

The breath caught in her throat, chills racing up her spine as she heard the pain that laced his voice as he gritted out harsh breaths through his teeth.

“I got hit by one of his arrows in my side...bleeding a lot...can’t lift my arm…” she winced as she heard his sharp gasp and knew he had tried once more.

“Hold on!” she told him, her fingers flying over the keys as she switched her feed to Captain Lance’s.

“Detective!” she cried out of habit. “You have tell them to stand down. He’s hurt...he can’t get out of there like usual…”

Lance swore under his breath and she heard him bark out the command over the ear piece. “Stand down!” he shouted. “Hold your fire!”

Her eyes flashed back to the security footage and she watched as slowly the men began to lower their weapons. 

It happened so quickly she didn't even have time to react. One of the officers didn’t lower his weapon. Instead, he fired just as Felicity hit the controls to turn on the fire sprinklers on in the building.

“Oliver!!!” she yelled, her voice cracking as Diggle stepped on the brakes as he rounded the corner to the alley behind the building.

Chaos erupted in the building and a buzzing began in Felicity’s ears, roaring to life as her fingers froze. Then she saw movement from Oliver’s form and released a breath, wetness on her cheeks as everything came crashing back over her - the noise from the building and DIgg’s barked commands.

“Oliver, talk to me…please,” she begged, her voice catching.

“Glad you talked me into the kevlar under my suit tonight,” he muttered, his voice hoarse and rough, but she’d never been more glad to hear it.

“Oh thank God,” she breathed, hand clutching her coat over her heart. “Can you get to the back door to the alley?”

He grunted in reply. “Already almost there…”

“We don’t have much time, guys,” Digg warned, eyes watching as more sirens echoed around them and Felicity watched as the officers in the building began to push forward as the water rained down upon them.

“Just get to the door, Oliver…” Felicity told him, her tone brooking no argument.

As soon as Diggle pulled up to the back entrance, Felicity stood, placing her tablet to the side as she pushed open the back doors to the van.

The rain pelted down on her as she was about to hop out, but the door burst open and Oliver fell through, staggering steps sending him sprawling into her. 

Her arms went out, latching on to the leather of his jacket and pulling as he used what little reserve strength he had to hoist himself up into the back of the van.

She used the momentum he had to pull him back until his feet were inside and then she reached for the doors, crying out as she slammed them shut, the muscles in her arms straining with Oliver laying half on top of her.

“He’s in! Go!” she yelled, and she braced her hands to the side as Diggle sped off, sirens close behind.

Oliver groaned and Felicity scooted to his head, tugging him up and against her as best she could. Her hands ran over him, searching until she found where he was putting pressure on his side. As her fingers slipped over his, she felt the warm sticky wetness coat them, bile rising in her throat as she realized just how much blood he was losing.

“Diggle...he’s bleeding a lot,” she called out shakily as she pressed down on the wound, trying to staunch it.

“You need to try to stop it,” Diggle called back. “I can’t stop the van until we are safe and we’ve still got company not too far away. Use whatever you can…”

Tears pressed at the back of Felicity’s eyes but she refused to let them fall. Shucking off her jacket, she balled it up and forced him to remove his hand, which was far easier than she expected.

Placing the fabric over the wound, she pressed down hard.

Oliver grunted, his face contorting in pain as his eyes flew open, blue eyes glazed over. He stared up at her, his breaths shallow against her cheek as her hair from her ponytail fell over her shoulder, whispering against his face.

“Licity…” He rasped, and her eyes flew back to his, the lump in her throat growing as she saw him looking at her sadly - longing, lingering - along with something deeper and more profound. “I want you to know…” he tried to continue, struggling for breath.

Felicity quickly shook her head, placing her free hand over his cheek. “Don’t you dare say something now, Oliver Queen. You’ll tell me whatever you’re going to tell me when you’re not in the back of van being chased by cops you just saved and bleeding all over me.” She could barely breath over the lump in her throat, but she forced the next words, with watery eyes, “No..I can’t...you’re _not_ leaving me.”

Her voice broke and she sucked in a breath as the tears fell down her cheeks.

He let out a long breath and she pressed harder on his wound, still feeling too much blood seeping out.

“We’re almost home, Oliver,” she whispered in a softer voice, her head bent low over his, forehead almost brushing his lips. “Just hang on. Please.”

“We lost our tail,” Digg said from the front and Felicity let out a sigh of relief, “Heading back. Keep putting pressure on the wound, Felicity. He’s going to be okay.”

Felicity didn’t trust her voice so she just nodded, even though Diggle couldn’t see her. She trusted the fierce quality of his voice - the sure tone that she clung on to as she held Oliver.

It was five minutes too long before they reached the foundry. Felicity could still feel Oliver’s breaths on her forehead, but they were more shallow and uneven than they had been.

Diggle parked the van by the nearest entrance and a few seconds later threw open the back doors.

With her hand still holding pressure, she and Diggle managed to get Oliver into the foundry and onto one of the medical bay tables.

Felicity inhaled sharply as she got a look at the amount of blood on her jacket under the bright fluorescent lights.

She kept pressure on his side until Diggle pried her hand away and then she spurred into action, grabbing the scissors from the drawer nearby and beginning to unzip his leather jacket. While she’d been holding pressure on his side, Diggle had hooked him up to the heart monitor and the steady beeping comforted her, although it came in quick intervals and she knew they had to work fast.

In seconds, she had his jacket down and had cut through the straps of kevlar vest, giving Digg more access to his wound.

It took both of them to remove the kevlar completely while Diggle held pressure tight.

Felicity watched as Diggle gently eased the soaked gauze pads away and got a look at the injury. The arrow from the Dark Archer had sliced through Oliver’s side fairly deep and Felicity felt herself sway on her feet as she took in the angry red edges of his skin.

Listening closely to Diggle’s instructions, she packed the wound and pushed hard as he injected Oliver with a sedative and pain killer.

In the end, it took fourteen stitches and one heart-rending moment when his pulse stopped before she was finally able to breathe and sink down wearily in her chair. 

As Diggle went to wash up, Felicity stared at her hands still covered in Oliver’s blood.

She felt the wetness on her cheeks, but didn’t do anything to try to stop the tears. All she could see was him bleeding out in front of her while the heart monitor blared one steady noise. Her shoulders began to shake and it wasn’t until she felt Diggle’s hand on her that she completely broke.

Sobs tore through her body and distantly she felt Diggle lift her from her chair and wrap his arms around her.

Her tears soaked through his shirt, stained fingers clinging to his black t-shirt.

“Easy,” he said. “It’s okay. He’s going to be okay.” He soothed, holding her tightly and pressing a kiss to her hair.

“He almost...he almost wasn’t. He was trying to tell me...and I couldn’t let him...not like that,” she mumbled against his chest. “This is the first time since he told me and he couldn’t tell me like that...I can’t lose him, John.”

“I know,” he murmured against her hair. “But he’s okay. He’s still an idiot. But he’s going to be okay.”

That drew a chuckle out of her and she took a deep breath, lifting her head to look up at the man who had become her best friend and big brother. “Thank you,” she breathed. 

The gratitude extended to far more than comforting her and she knew he understood when he gave her an understanding nod.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” he told her softly as he took her hands and led her over to the bathroom.

He stood behind her as she let the warm water wash over her fingers. She scrubbed and scrubbed until her skin was rubbed raw and Diggle reached over and turned off the faucet, wrapping her hands in a towel and drying them off.

Afterwards, he led her back where Oliver lay and pulled up her computer chair. She sat without hesitation, her hand reaching out to find his and intertwining their fingers.

She let her thumb run over his knuckles, slightly bruised from the fight he’d been in earlier. The gloves protected them from scrapes but that’s it.

Closing her eyes, she bowed her head and lifted his hand to her lips, pressing a soft kiss against the back of his fingers, wishing he would wake up and cup her face like he had when she’d been hurt.

After a few moments, she brought their hands back down to rest against the cold metal table and let her eyes linger on his chest and the steady rise and fall. She kept her gaze trained on it and the reassuring sound from the heart monitor until her eyes got heavy and slipped shut, her head pillowed on their hands.

When she startled awake, nightmares chasing her from sleep, she gasped, sitting up and looking around quickly. Her eyes found Diggle sitting in a chair near the computers, head resting on one hand as he eyed her cautiously. Then she swiveled her head to where Oliver still lay unconscious.

Her brow furrowed, glancing across the room to one of the clocks. Three hours had passed.

Three hours and he hadn’t woken up yet.

Her hand was still firmly clasping his as she looked from his face to Diggle.

“He hasn’t woken up yet?” she asked softly, her voice not as steady as she’d hoped it would be.

Diggle slowly shook his head, rising wearily from the chair and crossing over to wear she sat. 

“But it usually doesn’t take this long…”

Diggle sighed. “He lost a lot of blood, Felicity. His body is trying to heal. You know it sometimes takes a bit longer depending on his injury,” his voice got heavier and she nodded, knowing he was right. 

She was just anxious for him to wake up; to be able to look into his eyes again. It had been hard enough to watch him go through all of this before...but now, it seemed ten times harder. If she lost him now, without knowing...without getting that chance to tell him, to be with him, she wasn’t sure if she could recover from that.

She felt a weight land across her shoulders and looked up to see Diggle had wrapped the shock blanket they kept in the Foundry around her shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze as he placed a kiss to the top of her head.

“He’ll be okay,” he told her again, and she nodded her head, thanking him softly as he went back to his chair.

He rolled it closer to hers and together they waited.

She dozed off again, her eyes slipping shut but she’d wake minutes later, shaking her head as she tried to ward off the sleep. Her hand never left his, clinging to his tightly.

It was his fingers moving against her own that shook her out of her dazed stare. Large calloused fingers closing completely around hers made her gasp and stand, eyes widening as she crowded towards him searching his face, waiting for his eyes to open and pin her with that piercing stare.

Diggle rounded the table when she moved, quickly checking his vitals as she called his name.

His hand tightened around hers and then his eyes fluttered.

A soft groan left his lips and then her name. “Felicity…” he breathed, his voice hoarse and gravelly, but it was the best sound she’d heard in hours.

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she swallowed thickly before replying. “I’m right here, Oliver.”

Slowly his eyes opened and she was met with that familiar blue. A slow smile curved on his lips when he saw her and she couldn't’ stop her stomach from fluttering. 

“Hey,” she breathed, “You’re going to be okay.”

He grimaced and then turned his head, as if realizing he’d been hurt. When he saw Diggle he asked, “Saved my life again, huh?”

Digg cocked an eyebrow at him, leaning against the edge of the table as he shook his head. “We both did.”

“Again,” he deadpanned, after a beat, shooting a look at him.

Oliver sighed and furrowed his brow as he suddenly tried to sit up. Both Diggle and Felicity were pressing him back against the table before he could get more than a few inches off the surface. 

“Woah,” Felicity spoke, “Don’t even think about it, mister. I am not watching Diggle stitch you up again. That was a bad one and you…”

Her voice broke despite her strong beginning as she remembered the blaring of the heart monitor as he had coded.

Oliver’s face fell, the corners of his lips turning down as he looked at her and then shot a glance at Digg who only nodded once in confirmation as he looked to the heart monitor.

Gently, he tugged on her hand that was still clasped within his, pulling her closer to him. 

“Hey,” he whispered when her eyes met his, and she swallowed at the concern and guilt that swam in their depths. “I’m okay. I’m sorry...I…”

Felicity shook her head, cutting him off. “I know. I know you had to go after him. I understand. It was just...it’s hard now…”

She sucked in a deep breath realizing that this conversation needed to wait until later when they were both thinking more clearly.

“You need to rest,” she told him, letting her hand fall to his hair and trail through the short strands.

She could see him about to protest and she tilted her head to the side, raising an eyebrow at him that dared him to start.

His mouth opened and then closed with a groan as he tried to shift only for his face to twist in pain.

Felicity eyed the cot in the corner and then Digg, silently asking if they could help him move.

Digg nodded and Felicity leaned over Oliver, waiting until he’d opened his eyes again before she spoke. “We’ll help you over to the cot, okay?” she asked softly, knowing it was a compromise of sorts for him to rest but not be on the uncomfortable table.

He nodded and then Diggle had an arm at his back as Felicity held on to his hand as they gently helped him into a sitting position. She watched as Oliver swayed slightly for a few seconds before seemingly regaining his equilibrium. The fact that it was taking him this long to recover spoke to how bad this injury had been.

Swallowing around the lump that thought brought to her throat, she moved to the other side of the table to help steady him as Diggle unhooked the leads from his chest. 

Felicity grabbed the blanket that had fallen from her shoulders and draped it around his. He swayed towards her and she grabbed his forearms, steadying him, her breath catching when his lips brushed her forehead.

She was fairly certain it had been accidental but it didn’t stop the butterflies from erupting low in her belly. When his forehead came to rest against hers, this time she knew it wasn’t an accident. Her breathing sped up as she felt his own breath ghost across her nose and mouth. She realized with a start that his hands had moved to her hips to hold on to her and she let her eyes fall closed. 

Slowly, as if he was scared she might disappear if he moved to fast, he let his hands slide around to her back and tugged her closer to him. Her hands ran up his arms and then down his chest, careful of the bandage still in place and the IV for his fluids and blood, before making their way around his back as she moved into the circle of his arms and his embrace.

Burrowing her head in the crook of his shoulder, she took a deep breath, breathing him in completely. She felt the rapid beat of his heart beneath her hands and the way his head turned into her hair.

Neither said anything until Diggle cleared his throat and she almost jumped. Oliver’s hands kept her in place as she slowly lifted her head and then ducked it in slight embarrassment. She could feel the stare Oliver was sending Digg but she ignored it, instead, moving her hands back to Oliver’s as she pried his hands from around her back and clutched them tight.

His eyes returned to hers and she gave him a soft smile which caused him to relax.

“Come on,” Diggle stated then, “Let’s get you over to the cot so I can go home to Lyla and you two can talk...”

Felicity froze momentarily, and shot Diggle a glare only to find his eyes glittering with mirth. 

Between the two of them - Diggle taking most of his weight - they got Oliver to the cot in one corner of the Foundry. Felicity slid the blanket from around his shoulders while Diggle took his pulse and vitals once more, making sure the IV’s were still connected.

“Everything looks good,” he stated after a moment. “But you need to finish off that fluid and blood and rest for at least a few days.”

Oliver opened his mouth but Diggle shook his head. “I mean it, Oliver. You coded on that table. You lost a lot of blood and your body needs to heal. Let it heal.”

The two men stared at each other for a moment before Oliver nodded and stuck out the hand on the side that wasn’t hurt. Diggle shook it before turning to her where she sat perched on the other side of the cot.

“He can have more pain killers at 7AM. Call me if you need me,” His voice softened as well as his gaze and she stood to wrap her arms around him.

Lifting on her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss against his cheek as he bent down for her and whispered a soft thank you against his skin.

He squeezed her shoulder and then headed for the exit.

It wasn’t until the door had shut behind him that Felicity moved. Turning back to Oliver, she noticed he’d started to lay down and she was instantly by his side, her hands at his back as she helped him.

Her fingers ran over his shoulder before she removed them completely knowing if she didn’t, she would keep touching him, letting her fingers map out his body as she’d dreamed of doing so many times.

“Do you need anything?” she asked softly, eyes flitting over his face and down to the growing bruise on his chest where the bullet had impacted the kevlar and then to the large bandage on his side.

His hand reached out and found hers, tangling their fingers together. 

“Just you,” he murmured, and her eyes shot to his face as the breath caught in her throat.

Blue eyes still glossy from pain stared back at her, holding her gaze as he watched her reaction with an intensity that belied his true condition.

“Oliver…” she breathed, searching his eyes as words escaped her. 

The emotions on display in his gaze caused her heart to race, cheeks heating as his words echoed in her head. The naked truth and longing, love and desire staring back at her was almost too much for her to comprehend.

“In the van, when I didn’t know…” his words trailed off and she squeezed his hand harder, not wanting to think of that moment - of the many times tonight that she’d thought she was going to lose him. “I wanted to tell you...I meant it. In the mansion that night. I meant it. I still mean it.”

She shook her head, desperately wanting to hold on to every word but the rational side of her brain reminded her that they’d come to an agreement and she knew what those little white pills Diggle he’d given him did to your filter. “Oliver...You’ve had a lot of pain medicine and Diggle said…” 

“Felicity,” he drew out her name, and her eyes shot up to his face. “I mean it.”

It was all still there. Every emotion. The same look he’d given her at the mansion all those months ago. The gentleness in his eyes and his voice and his entire being as he gazed at her, with such longing and hope and desire that she could barely breathe.

Finally, she nodded, not trusting her voice.

His hand slid from hers to cup the side of her face and she couldn’t help but lean into it, warmth seeping into her skin - another reminder that he was still alive and, here, with her.

“Come here,” he murmured, as ran his thumb over her cheekbone before dropping his hand and spreading his arm to the side in an invitation.

Slipping off her shoes, she shifted herself, laying her head gently near his shoulder. She held her body taut, keeping most of her weight off of him. When his arm wrapped around her, hand landing on her hip and tugging her to him, she let out a breath.

“You’re not going to hurt me,” he breathed against her hair, and she thought she felt his lips brush her temple. “I want you here…”

Her eyes slipped shut and she let her muscles slacken, curling up against his side. She lifted one leg and fitted it over his as her hand glided over heated flesh, tracing black inked lines and raised tissue that made up his tattoos and scars.

Her fingers found the edge of his bandage and trailed along one edge until she released a shuddering breath, flashes of flat lines and too much blood flew through her mind.

She raised her hand back to the familiar pattern of the Bratva tattoo, and splayed her palm over his skin.

With each steady and reassuring beat, Felicity felt the last tendrils of panic and fear lift from her shoulders. 

“You scared me,” Felicity began softly after a few long moments.

She felt Oliver’s muscles bunch and coil beneath her as his chest rose and fell and waited for a beat before continuing, his hand squeezing her hip making her continue.

“The thought of losing you….I know I told you once, but that idea scares me more than more anything…” 

Her voice broke on the last words, an audible sob escaping as she recalled those horrifying few seconds when the shot was fired, all the blood on her hands in the van as they drove away and those excruciating minutes in the Foundry when he’d coded and her world had seemingly crashed down around her.

A shudder ran through her body and despite his obvious pain, he shifted towards her, cupping her cheek with one hand as he lifted her head from his shoulder. The pads of his thumbs wiped away the tears that had started to fall in steady streams and she sucked in deep breaths, blinking rapidly through watery eyes.

His lips ghosted over her brow and then her eyes, her cheeks and the corner of her mouth causing her to gasp.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his breath hot against her mouth. “You have to know I will do anything and everything to always make it back to you. I promise…”

She broke then, desperate heaving sob falling from her mouth as she tilted her head up and fused her lips to his.

Her hand clutched at his face, holding him close as he responded, sliding his lips against hers, nibbling her lower lip before sweeping his tongue along the seam.

She opened to him readily, and he swallowed her low moan as he explored the inside of her mouth, explosions going off behind her eyelids as they came together in a flurry of emotion and years of bottled up desire and truth.

His hand slipped into her hair and felt him slow the kiss, his tongue stroking lazily against hers before pulling out completely as he peppered kisses against her mouth.

Parting and panting for breath, he rested his forehead against hers momentarily before grunting softly and falling back into the pillow behind him, a grimace furrowing his brow.

Felicity gasped softly, shifting her body as she realized that in order to kiss her he’d ignored his own pain and the chastising words were halfway out of her mouth when he shook his head, “I’m fine...it was worth it.”

The small uptilt of his lips make her huff, her mouth mirroring his smile. Lifting herself up, she moved so she could hover above him, framing his face in her hands, she bent her head and pressed her mouth to his once again.

This kiss was softer, sweeter but filled with no less passion. She came away just as breathless, her forehead resting against his as she stared at him. 

“Felicity…” and her eyes fluttered shut as the way he said her name and the deep tones of his voice washed over her, sparking to life needs and wants and love so deep within her bones it almost hurt.

He waited until she opened her eyes once more, staring into deep blue oceans before he whispered, “I love you.”

Her heart expanded, a rush of breath tumbling from her lips for as much as she’d believed it the last time - this time there no one was after them, there was no city to save. It was just them wrapped in each others arms with the truth.

She kissed him, hard and soft, sweet and needy, tongue delving into his mouth as she let her hands trail into his hair and was slightly proud of herself when it took him a few seconds to start responding.

“I love you, too, Oliver” she replied hoarsely, breaths mingling. 

She felt him start at those words, the way his breath hitched and he stilled beneath her, eyes wide with wonder and almost disbelief.

She kissed away that disbelief, moving from his mouth to his jaw and down his neck before she finally stopped at the juncture of his neck and shoulder, burying her head there and wrapping her arms around him, careful of his injuries but needing to feel him close.

His free hand, roved her back, fingers tangling into her hair as he leaned his head against her, his breathing slowly returning to normal.

She tried to move, realizing she was on more of him than she probably should be with his injury but his hand moved to her lower back and held her in place. “Stay. You’re not hurting me.”

She turned her head, so it was laying across the top of his shoulder, blonde curls spread out over his arm, her breath tickling his collarbone.

They fell asleep like that - with her half sprawled on top of him, careful of his injuries, one of her legs in between his and her hand over his heart, thankful that he was still there with her.


End file.
